China may need 4,300GW storage capacity by 2050: report

This is to help back up renewables’ intermittency. 

China may need up to 4,300 gigawatts of battery storage capacity by 2050 to address the intermittency of renewable energy, intended to limit global warming to 1.5°C, Rystad Energy reported. 

At present, China has the capacity to help limit global warming to 1.9°C. In this scenario, the market would only need a battery storage capacity of only 1,084GW. 

Read more: China’s renewables could grow up to 6,000GW by 2050

On top of this, in pursuit of the 1.5°C scenario, Rystad Energy projected that China will need to more than double its solar photovoltaic and onshore wind capacity. 

“This would enable China to displace coal generation at a much faster pace, reducing emissions from the power sector to close to zero megatonnes by 2050,” the report read. 

“The 1.5°C goal is very ambitious but could still be feasible. China is the world’s largest manufacturer of solar PV panels with a current manufacturing capacity of 425 GWAC per year, which is expected to reach 613 GWAC per year by 2030.”